I wonder if you could remember me too
by artsybeanpole
Summary: The saddest part was, she could remember it every timeline, but every time, he was always the same.


The saddest part was she could remeber it clearly, every single timeline.

Ene had been floating aimlessly in her endless, empty world with only 1s and 0s flashing across the screen, teasing her master, when _he_ came in.

He waved, after a bit of a delayed reaction, white locks sweeping over black and yellow headphones, Mary's bright smile returned with a blank tilt of his head, eyebrows furrowed, as if he was trying to remember something.

He had the same eyes, the same body, his hair even, somewhat similar, yet he wasn't.

Those bright, dark eyes she had loved, _still_ loved, his hands, moving listlessly instead of scratching away on paper, his thoughts always drifting, disappearing, out of sight. Not out of _Haruka's_ sight, no, he promised, he said, holding her her hand over a hospital bed-

Her master seemed to take advantage in the fact of her sudden silence, and held up his phone, fully exposing the hateful view of his empty shell, his blank pink eyes boring into the screen, empty, into her equally empty world. She couldn't look. She was going to cry, she wanted to scream, as if it would reach anyone in this world filled with nothing, she wanted to crawl up and disappear.

 _He promised he promised he promised_

 _"_ Ene, this is our new member. No. 9."

 _No no no it can't be true he said that he would never forget he said he wouldn't he said why_

 _"_ He said his name was...um, what was it again?"

 _He_ lifted his eyes, a disgusting, blank slate of pink, and something churned inside them, something, maybe, different, and said, in a rather distant voice, "Konoh-"

" _Liar!"_

It had burst out of her mouth, an angry screech unlike anything anyone in the room had ever heard from the peppy cyber girl. Her glaring electric blue eyes intensely burned hatred, desperation, and another emotion, something she herself couldn't quite define.

Shintaro gave 'Konoha' an apologetic look, then chastised Ene on treating their new member. Ene didn't hear it, she hid away into the depths of her cyber world, everyone's confused stares, except for him, his face always remaining the same, forever burned, always having been burned into her 'eyes.'

She choked back a strangled sound in the back of her throat, gripping the cloth inside of her oversized sleeves- Haruka wouldn't be like that, he would...he was...

"Ene, hey, what's with you? Konoha-"

She closed her eyes, but without a physical form, it didn't really _change_ anything, it wouldn't change the fact that Haruka had been...he was...that Haruka was... Konoha.

No, this wasn't Haruka. Or 'Konoha,' no, he was just an empty shell, without any feeling or even any trace of memories.

 _Any trace of_ her _._

She forced down the thought, pulling her pixelated legs up to her chest, trying to drown out the sound of her master's annoying nagging, trying desperately to hold onto Haruka's bright smile as she walked into the classroom of only 2 students.

" _Takane!"_

 _"_ I'm sorry."

Ene jolted, the shell's voice blending into her memories, leaving her wondering if it really was the same thing, but said, "What do you want?" her voice coming out watery rather than cold, and she cursed herself, furiously wiping her eyes of the pixelated tears falling to the black and white 0s and 1s alternating beneath.

'Konoha' seemed to hesitate, then continued, in his same placid, distant voice, "Does Ene hate me now?"

Ene could barely hope that there was something else in there, something stirring at her anger. She shook her head, turning away, maybe because she was afraid of seeing him again. He wasn't Haruka.

"Did I do something wrong?"

Why did he have to sound so confused, so earnest? As if he didn't know what was going on. As if he didn't remember who _she_ was. She could feel tears pricking the edges of her eyes again.

"No, you didn't." Her voice cut through his words, clipped short and bitter. She knew it was true. She was being a fool again, letting her emotions rein her words, hurting when she didn't mean to.

" _I...I didn't mean to hurt you."_ Ene gripped her hands tighter over her headphones, trying desperately to shut his voice out, closing her eyes tight enough that everything was black, the after images of the running 1s and 0s still glowing faintly in her retinas. He wasn't Haruka. Her head was just messing with her, making her hear things.

He felt something touch the screen, warm fingertips pressing gently onto the tears on her face, his pink eyes looking down to her, an undecipherable emotion behind the calm solid slate.

"I'm sorry." Ene could feel something twist in her chest, looking at his blank face. She reached out, pressing her own fingers onto the warmth pressing against the screen, a sad smile faintly flashing on her face.

"It was never your fault, anyway." She could barely mumble it before her face flushed deeply, the fake Haruka tilting his head, confused. "What was that?"

She coughed, red faced, with a more forcibly enthusiastic voice than usal, "Well, welcome to the Dan, Konoha!" The worried faces of the dan were wiped away, relieved that their friend had returned to her normal state, their chatter resuming as always.

'Konoha.' She touched her lips, her cheeks still a soft glow of pink. It had been the first time she had said his name. The warmth of his fingers still lingered on the screen. 'He isn't Haruka,' she had to remind herself, patting away the red on her cheeks. A soft chuckle from the quiet boy reached her ears, and she could feel a slight flash of embarrassment reach her cheeks again.

"W-what?" He finally actually looked at her, a look of doting amusement, she almost thought, behind his eyes, warming his eyes in a way that left her skin tingling similar to when he had pressed his hands against the screen.

"Nothing, I just thought that I think it's cute when you both smile and be angry at the same time." It came out so easily, and he looked so innocent, offering the phone a bright smile. Ene was quite the opposite, spluttering, the heat spreading to her ears, trying to hide her face behind her oversized sweater sleeves. "T-That's- you-"

He laughed a little again, and Ene grumbled, though playfully this time, the phone vibrating in his hand, "I really do hate you."


End file.
